Amen

We usually say the word "Amen" at the end of our prayers. But what does this word mean? It is a Hebrew word that means, "This is most certainly true." Martin Luther writes, "This word is nothing else than an unquestioning affirmation of faith on the part of one who does not pray as a matter of chance, but know that God does not lie since He has promised to grant his requests. Where such faith is wanting, there can be no true prayer."

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches us how to pray against ourselves – not according to what we want, but according to what God has promised us: "Thy kingdom come [and not mine]. Thy will be done [and not mine]." Amen means that God our Father, to whom our prayer is directed, hears our prayer and will not fail to keep His promises to us. In other words, when we pray according to God's promises, everything we pray for is a sure thing. 

This little word, all by itself, is a confession of faith. This faith is what God wanted from you all along, and so He causes it to come out of your mouth by giving you a promise and then keeping it, forever and ever. That means "Amen" is not your decision. It is not up to you to decide what is true or certain. It is not a matter of whether you agree or disagree. The truth and certainty of our prayer does not depend on us at all, but entirely on God, who always keeps His promises.

When we pray like this, we hold God's promises up to Him and say, "Father, do what you promised!" and so He does. We trust that He does not hear or answer our prayers based on our worthiness, but according to the promise He has made to us.

To sum it up: God doesn't lie. Therefore, what we pray for is most certainly true.

Christ's grace and peace to you,

Pastor Raleigh